Pokedex Log #008: A New Journey
Title: A New Journey
Length: 1511 words
Fandom: B1A4, FT Island
Characters: GongChan, HongKi
Rating: PG
Warning: AU
Summary: GongChan arrives at the lab to pick out his first Pokemon
A/N: Part of the Pokemon!AU, new drabble every 1-2 days. Masterlist/Character List | Request Thread
"Seonsaengnim?" GongChan poked his head into the lab, looking around. "I'm here! Hello?"
His words were met by silence, and the teenager pursed his lips unhappily. Hopefully the professor wasn't out, this was a big day after all! Today GongChan was supposed to get his very first Pokemon.
It sucked that out of all the different regions, Aspen was the only one that had its trainers starting out later than the others, forbidding the title of Pokemon Trainer until their fifteenth birthday. Something about it not being safe for ten-year-olds to go running around across the region by themselves. And as if that hadn't been bad enough, GongChan had been very sick for the past few years, and he'd missed his chance to start out after his fifteenth birthday.
Thankfully his doctor had given him a clean bill of health (finally), and there was nothing keeping him in this dusty town anymore. There were bigger things out there, better things! He was all packed up, a sleeping roll strapped to his backpack that was stuffed with supplies, food, and money from his parents. All those programs advertising a trainers' life hadn't mentioned they'd need so much stuff, but GongChan was willing to go along with it if it would get his parents to let him go.
All he needed before he left town, was a Pokemon.
And the professor was missing.
"Hello?" GongChan called loudly, stepping into the lab. "Professor? HongKi?" His backpack was heavy so he took it off, resting it at the front door as he stepped in further. Neither the Professor or his assistant were in the large room beyond, the room GongChan loved to stand in and look around. There were pictures of so many different kinds of Pokemon he thought he'd never memorize them all, accompanied with charts on their evolutionary pattern, diet, footprints...he could literally stay here for hours and look at it all, because whenever he came by there were always new Pokemon to look at.
He couldn't stay and look this time though, he was on a mission! Shaking his head to clear it, GongChan wandered into the next room, a door he'd always seen closed but hadn't gone inside. The walls were lined with pokeballs! They were all connected to some sort of machine, GongChan looking over them curiously. Must be keeping the Pokemon inside healthy. What was inside them, anyways? Was he supposed to just pick one at random to be his first Pokemon? Or did he have to name one, and hope they had it? If so, he wanted a Machamp! He wouldn't have to carry all his supplies for one.
Oh, he'd have to start off with the lowest evolution...well, a Machop was okay too, he'd train it a lot either way. Wait, what did Machops eat again?
Stepping back away from the shelf, GongChan yelped as he backed up into the shelf behind him. A pokeball fell on the floor and there was a flash of light, GongChan blinking back the spots in his vision. Looking down, he saw the pokeball on the floor at his feet...open.
"...Uh..." GongChan slowly leaned down and picked it up. Had the pokeball been empty? Looking around, he couldn't see anything. About to shrug and put the pokeball back, he saw something shifting underneath the bottom shelf and jumped, staring with wide eyes.
All he could see were shining yellow eyes from the darkness. What was that? "...Hi?" he tried, slowly crouching down. Reaching out, he snatched his hand back at the warning growl.
They stayed like that for a long minute, human and Pokemon staring at each other through the shadows under the shelf. "...I won't hurt you," GongChan said after a pause, sitting down on the floor. "It's okay, you can come out." Another growl answered him, followed by a whimper. It sounded like a dog.
Hearing a crinkling in his pocket as he made himself comfortable on the floor, GongChan blinked before pulling out a snack bar. He'd forgotten he had this. Getting an idea, he unwrapped it before holding the snack out. "Are you hungry?"
He heard a soft snuffling sound, seeing the shape of a nose twitching in the dark. GongChan held the bar closer, eyes wide and hopeful as he watched.
Slowly a paw became visible, then a muzzle, and then a furry face as the Pokemon crept closer. It was a Growlithe, small with ears down and tail tucked between its legs. GongChan smiled widely, keeping the snack bar out even if his arm was starting to hurt.
The Growlithe inched closer, flinching back at every twitch of movement from the human. Finally it reached the snack bar, nose snuffling curiously before leaning in to bite a piece off, scooting back quickly.
GongChan's grin nearly split his face in two. "Is that good?" he asked as the Growlithe scooted back to the shelf. He chuckled at the slightest wag of a small tail, the Growlithe scooting forward cautiously for more.
"GongChan ah!" A surprised voice rang out, and the Growlithe hid beneath the shelf again. Looking up, GongChan brightened to see HongKi standing in the doorway, clipboard in hand and glasses falling down his nose. "What are you doing here?"
"Hyung, I was supposed to come by for my Pokemon today!" GongChan pursed his lips, looking between HongKi and the Growlithe. Placing the rest of the snack bar down beside the shelf, he stood up.
"Ah, right, right, sorry." HongKi rubbed the back of his head. "Things have been crazy around here. Okay, let's go back into the other room!" He stepped around GongChan to go back to the main room, GongChan following excitedly.
"Hmm, so, there are the usual starter pokemon available," HongKi said, flipping through his papers. "The Professor ran out somewhere, but I can get you all set up with a Pokedex and pokeballs and stuff. What starter did you have in mind?"
"Could I get something not the usual starter?" GongChan pouted. "Everyone has those hyung, I want a special Pokemon!"
"Uh, well...we try not to give those out because they take more work to take care of, and aren't really proper for a trainer just starting out," HongKi sighed, fixing his glasses.
"Please?" GongChan pleaded. "I looked up lots of stuff while I was in the hospital, I can take care of them!"
"...Well..." HongKi gave in at the pleading look. "Okay...what Pokemon did you have in mind?"
"Uh..." GongChan thought about that, then jumped at the feeling of a wet nose against his fingers. Looking down, he saw the Growlithe flinch back slightly, ears dropping.
"Looks like you made a friend," HongKi blinked, looking down as well.
"Not sure about that, he's pretty timid..." GongChan crouched slightly. "Hey, I don't have any more snacks on me. I'm sorry." He watched the Growlithe inch closer, the ears perking up again slightly. "Hey...HongKi hyung...could I have him?"
"I'm not so sure if that's a good idea," HongKi frowned. "This is a rescued Pokemon, his previous trainer beat him a lot. Never really got used to people after that, pity too, Growlithes are the most loyal Pokemon you could meet."
"Beaten?" GongChan couldn't imagine someone beating the puppy-like Pokemon. Hand out carefully, he watched as his fingers were sniffed cautiously. That made up his mind. "I can take him hyung, honest. You know I won't hurt him."
"That's not what I'm worried about," HongKi shifted from foot to foot before shrugging. "All right, guess I can't really stop you. He's yours."
"My first Pokemon," GongChan smiled widely, watching the Growlithe.
"Okay, let's get you all set up," HongKi announced, and stood up.
It was a good hour before GongChan could leave, HongKi explaining how the Pokedex, pokeballs and navigator kit worked. He also suggested getting an explorers' kit from the next big city before going into any forests or caves.
"More stuff to lug around?" GongChan pouted, stepping outside.
"Get a bike, it'll be easier," HongKi patted his shoulder. "You gonna call Growlithe back into his pokeball?"
GongChan looked down at the Pokemon sniffing the flowers outside the lab. "Nah, he can walk with me." He had a feeling Growlithe would like that more than being confined in a pokeball. And maybe this way he could get to trust GongChan more.
"Suit yourself." HongKi grinned, leaning against the lab door. "You're all set Chan ah. Have fun out there, and be careful. The first gym you should be heading to is in Foxglove Cove, just west of here."
Looking down the road heading west, GongChan grinned widely, nervous butterflies in his stomach. This was it. He was finally going. "Thanks, hyung. I'll come back to visit some time, say hi to the Professor for me!" He waved excitedly before running down the road. Growlithe yipped and followed.
"I wouldn't run if I were you," HongKi called after him, watching GongChan go. He sighed and shook his head, turning to go back inside. "He'll be out of energy before he hits the treeline."
Length: 1511 words
Fandom: B1A4, FT Island
Characters: GongChan, HongKi
Rating: PG
Warning: AU
Summary: GongChan arrives at the lab to pick out his first Pokemon
A/N: Part of the Pokemon!AU, new drabble every 1-2 days. Masterlist/Character List | Request Thread
"Seonsaengnim?" GongChan poked his head into the lab, looking around. "I'm here! Hello?"
His words were met by silence, and the teenager pursed his lips unhappily. Hopefully the professor wasn't out, this was a big day after all! Today GongChan was supposed to get his very first Pokemon.
It sucked that out of all the different regions, Aspen was the only one that had its trainers starting out later than the others, forbidding the title of Pokemon Trainer until their fifteenth birthday. Something about it not being safe for ten-year-olds to go running around across the region by themselves. And as if that hadn't been bad enough, GongChan had been very sick for the past few years, and he'd missed his chance to start out after his fifteenth birthday.
Thankfully his doctor had given him a clean bill of health (finally), and there was nothing keeping him in this dusty town anymore. There were bigger things out there, better things! He was all packed up, a sleeping roll strapped to his backpack that was stuffed with supplies, food, and money from his parents. All those programs advertising a trainers' life hadn't mentioned they'd need so much stuff, but GongChan was willing to go along with it if it would get his parents to let him go.
All he needed before he left town, was a Pokemon.
And the professor was missing.
"Hello?" GongChan called loudly, stepping into the lab. "Professor? HongKi?" His backpack was heavy so he took it off, resting it at the front door as he stepped in further. Neither the Professor or his assistant were in the large room beyond, the room GongChan loved to stand in and look around. There were pictures of so many different kinds of Pokemon he thought he'd never memorize them all, accompanied with charts on their evolutionary pattern, diet, footprints...he could literally stay here for hours and look at it all, because whenever he came by there were always new Pokemon to look at.
He couldn't stay and look this time though, he was on a mission! Shaking his head to clear it, GongChan wandered into the next room, a door he'd always seen closed but hadn't gone inside. The walls were lined with pokeballs! They were all connected to some sort of machine, GongChan looking over them curiously. Must be keeping the Pokemon inside healthy. What was inside them, anyways? Was he supposed to just pick one at random to be his first Pokemon? Or did he have to name one, and hope they had it? If so, he wanted a Machamp! He wouldn't have to carry all his supplies for one.
Oh, he'd have to start off with the lowest evolution...well, a Machop was okay too, he'd train it a lot either way. Wait, what did Machops eat again?
Stepping back away from the shelf, GongChan yelped as he backed up into the shelf behind him. A pokeball fell on the floor and there was a flash of light, GongChan blinking back the spots in his vision. Looking down, he saw the pokeball on the floor at his feet...open.
"...Uh..." GongChan slowly leaned down and picked it up. Had the pokeball been empty? Looking around, he couldn't see anything. About to shrug and put the pokeball back, he saw something shifting underneath the bottom shelf and jumped, staring with wide eyes.
All he could see were shining yellow eyes from the darkness. What was that? "...Hi?" he tried, slowly crouching down. Reaching out, he snatched his hand back at the warning growl.
They stayed like that for a long minute, human and Pokemon staring at each other through the shadows under the shelf. "...I won't hurt you," GongChan said after a pause, sitting down on the floor. "It's okay, you can come out." Another growl answered him, followed by a whimper. It sounded like a dog.
Hearing a crinkling in his pocket as he made himself comfortable on the floor, GongChan blinked before pulling out a snack bar. He'd forgotten he had this. Getting an idea, he unwrapped it before holding the snack out. "Are you hungry?"
He heard a soft snuffling sound, seeing the shape of a nose twitching in the dark. GongChan held the bar closer, eyes wide and hopeful as he watched.
Slowly a paw became visible, then a muzzle, and then a furry face as the Pokemon crept closer. It was a Growlithe, small with ears down and tail tucked between its legs. GongChan smiled widely, keeping the snack bar out even if his arm was starting to hurt.
The Growlithe inched closer, flinching back at every twitch of movement from the human. Finally it reached the snack bar, nose snuffling curiously before leaning in to bite a piece off, scooting back quickly.
GongChan's grin nearly split his face in two. "Is that good?" he asked as the Growlithe scooted back to the shelf. He chuckled at the slightest wag of a small tail, the Growlithe scooting forward cautiously for more.
"GongChan ah!" A surprised voice rang out, and the Growlithe hid beneath the shelf again. Looking up, GongChan brightened to see HongKi standing in the doorway, clipboard in hand and glasses falling down his nose. "What are you doing here?"
"Hyung, I was supposed to come by for my Pokemon today!" GongChan pursed his lips, looking between HongKi and the Growlithe. Placing the rest of the snack bar down beside the shelf, he stood up.
"Ah, right, right, sorry." HongKi rubbed the back of his head. "Things have been crazy around here. Okay, let's go back into the other room!" He stepped around GongChan to go back to the main room, GongChan following excitedly.
"Hmm, so, there are the usual starter pokemon available," HongKi said, flipping through his papers. "The Professor ran out somewhere, but I can get you all set up with a Pokedex and pokeballs and stuff. What starter did you have in mind?"
"Could I get something not the usual starter?" GongChan pouted. "Everyone has those hyung, I want a special Pokemon!"
"Uh, well...we try not to give those out because they take more work to take care of, and aren't really proper for a trainer just starting out," HongKi sighed, fixing his glasses.
"Please?" GongChan pleaded. "I looked up lots of stuff while I was in the hospital, I can take care of them!"
"...Well..." HongKi gave in at the pleading look. "Okay...what Pokemon did you have in mind?"
"Uh..." GongChan thought about that, then jumped at the feeling of a wet nose against his fingers. Looking down, he saw the Growlithe flinch back slightly, ears dropping.
"Looks like you made a friend," HongKi blinked, looking down as well.
"Not sure about that, he's pretty timid..." GongChan crouched slightly. "Hey, I don't have any more snacks on me. I'm sorry." He watched the Growlithe inch closer, the ears perking up again slightly. "Hey...HongKi hyung...could I have him?"
"I'm not so sure if that's a good idea," HongKi frowned. "This is a rescued Pokemon, his previous trainer beat him a lot. Never really got used to people after that, pity too, Growlithes are the most loyal Pokemon you could meet."
"Beaten?" GongChan couldn't imagine someone beating the puppy-like Pokemon. Hand out carefully, he watched as his fingers were sniffed cautiously. That made up his mind. "I can take him hyung, honest. You know I won't hurt him."
"That's not what I'm worried about," HongKi shifted from foot to foot before shrugging. "All right, guess I can't really stop you. He's yours."
"My first Pokemon," GongChan smiled widely, watching the Growlithe.
"Okay, let's get you all set up," HongKi announced, and stood up.
It was a good hour before GongChan could leave, HongKi explaining how the Pokedex, pokeballs and navigator kit worked. He also suggested getting an explorers' kit from the next big city before going into any forests or caves.
"More stuff to lug around?" GongChan pouted, stepping outside.
"Get a bike, it'll be easier," HongKi patted his shoulder. "You gonna call Growlithe back into his pokeball?"
GongChan looked down at the Pokemon sniffing the flowers outside the lab. "Nah, he can walk with me." He had a feeling Growlithe would like that more than being confined in a pokeball. And maybe this way he could get to trust GongChan more.
"Suit yourself." HongKi grinned, leaning against the lab door. "You're all set Chan ah. Have fun out there, and be careful. The first gym you should be heading to is in Foxglove Cove, just west of here."
Looking down the road heading west, GongChan grinned widely, nervous butterflies in his stomach. This was it. He was finally going. "Thanks, hyung. I'll come back to visit some time, say hi to the Professor for me!" He waved excitedly before running down the road. Growlithe yipped and followed.
"I wouldn't run if I were you," HongKi called after him, watching GongChan go. He sighed and shook his head, turning to go back inside. "He'll be out of energy before he hits the treeline."